The Tyia
Reference Book: Star Wars Saga Edition Jedi Academy Training Manual The practitioners of Tyia, a relatively peaceful sect of Force-users have only been widely known in the galaxy since the rise of Palpatine's Galactic Empire. One of the few Force Traditions to practice openly during the reign of the Empire, Tyia adepts spread their beliefs in the space lanes through peaceful discourse and meditation. Unlike many Force Traditions, practitioners of Tyia rarely come into conflict with the Empire, prolonging their freedom from the Emperor's Jedi hunters. Members of The Tyia Force Tradition can select Talents from the Tyia Adept Talent Tree. Membership Although practitioners of Tyia are usually Revwien, Force-sensitive members of other Species can embrace the philosophies of The Tyia and become practitioners of this Force Tradition as well. History The Revwien are a sentient plant Species hailing from a distant planet beyond The Outer Rim. Revyia is a temperate world with long rolling plains and an equatorial jungle belt. The Revwien revere the jungle belt as a holy site. Those Revwien who display talent with The Force are sent to the jungle to develop their abilities and study The Tyia. For much of the galaxy's history, Revwien Force-users studied The Tyia and developed a kind of religion around it, spreading the word of their beliefs to any who would believe it. The masters on Revyia sensed the deaths of The Jedi from the nefarious Order 66. The discord caused by the deaths of so many Force-sensitives beings sent the masters into a panic. They gathered their best and brightest in a temple grown from the largest trees on the planet. The mission was laid out plainly. The students were to leave their homeworld and seek out The Jedi to help them in the wake of the Great Jedi Purge, to help return the galaxy to a state of harmony. Location The practitioners of Tyia can be found anywhere, from The Deep Core to The Outer Rim. They branched out from the Revwien homeworld in force during the days of the Galactic Empire, traveling the space lanes as passengers aboard tramp freighters, sharing their thoughts and wisdom with other beings that seemed interested in, or strongly connected to, The Force. Practitioners of Tyia can be found anywhere in the galaxy that tramp freighters fly, but during the time of the Empire, they are more likely to be found in Shadowports. Philosophy "Tyia" is the Revwien word for "Breath." Tyia is the spark of life that all living creatures have. All creatures that breathe have some measure of power in The Tyia. As long as there is life in the galaxy, there will be Tyia. Students of The Tyia spend their time in the wilderness to experience how all life is connected. The prey eats the plant. The predator eats the prey. The predator dies and their remains feed the plant. All things reflect this cycle. Students of The Tyia learn to reach out through these connections and alter the world around them. Things moving normally are referred to as "Harmony." Harmony is akin to the Light Side, and most students of The Tyia strive for Harmony. They mediate disputes, heal those not ready to die, and do what they can to keep peace in the galaxy. When The Dark Side intervenes, The Tyia fall into Discord. The Fall of the Republic was hastened by the Discord of Palpatine. Anakin Skywalker succumbed to his Discord because he could not be both a Jedi and a husband to Padmé Amidala. Conflict is part of life. Though students of The Tyia do not carry Lightsabers, they know that predators hunt prey and war is a natural step in the evolution of the galaxy. While those who study The Tyia revere all life, they also battle those who would destroy it. They prefer to use Force abilities such as Force Thrust and Force Slam to knock down and immobilize opponents rather than pick up a blaster to do so. If there is no alternative, The Tyia would still rather Stun an enemy than kill it. Killing, even if defense, is a quick path to Discord. Those students who fall from the path of The Tyia are given no name. They are believed to have lost the right to call themselves anything because of their Discord. Revwien who fall to The Dark Side take on a shriveled cast. Their voices become whispers of fallen leaves. They long to break out of the endless cycle of The Tyia and often want to take as many others with them as possible. The fallen student of Tyia looks to destroy and disrupt. There are places on Revyia where the earth is black and nothing grows. These are the places where Harmony and Discord have battled. Discord never fully wins in the end, but it often extracts a great price when it loses. Building a Tyia Adept Since those who follow the way of Tyia tend toward pacifism, your Tyia Adept is more likely to come from a Species where pacifism is at least occasionally acceptable; for example, you will find very few Gamorrean or Trandoshan Tyia Adepts in the galaxy. That is not to say that they don't exist, but if you choose to create a Tyia Adept from a violent Species, be prepared to answer why your hero would reject cultural norms and become an advocate for peace and tranquility. That being the case, Tyia Adepts might be pacifists, but they are not always passive. A Tyia Adept might be reluctant to fire a blaster or lash out with the Force Slam Force Power, but the adept will not stand by while their allies are harmed. Tyia Adepts tend to take steps to blunt anger (And attacks) and diffuse conflict, and as such you might look toward abilities that let you accomplish these objectives readily. Species that grant bonuses when healing (Such as the Selkath), those skilled at neutralizing conflict (Such as the Caamasi), or those with Wisdom score bonuses are likely to make good Tyia Adepts. A Tyia Adept's Force abilities focus on healing, the reduction of damage to allies, and breaking up violent conflict. Tyia Adepts prefer Force Powers such as Vital Transfer for healing the wounds created by Discord, as well as Force Powers such as Sever Force that do not cause direct harm but, instead, inflict penalties when the target attempts to attack. Tyia Adepts are more likely to pursue talents that augment healing (Such as [[Force Treatment|'Force Treatment']] Talent) or that grant boons to their allies, such as the Force Perception and Foresight Talents from the Sense Talent Tree. While you are less likely to choose damage-dealing Force Powers when building your Tyia Adept, you can certainly choose ones that intercede on you allies' behalf, such as the Inspire Force Power. Since a Tyia Adept is trained to avoid violent entanglements and overcome enemies without resorting to brutality, the Noble and Scoundrel Heroic Classes make good choices. For your Tyia Adept, you might consider picking a few Noble Talents that let you boost your allies (As opposed to harming your enemies), such as Bolster Ally or Inspire Confidence. Moreover, if you choose not to invest many of your Talents in Force Talents, you might go as far into the Noble Talents as to pick up Rally, which can help many of your allies get back on their feet. The Scoundrel is also a good choice for your Tyia Adept, as Scoundrels have many indirect ways of wreaking havoc with the enemy's actions, such as the Disruptive and Walk the Line Talents. Such Talents allow you to participate in combat without necessarily having to make attack rolls. Tyia Nonheroic Units See also: Nonheroic Units Category:Affiliations